Thirty Six Minutes
by Ezzaria26
Summary: Kyoko has always loved fairytales, but her prince in shining armor never seems to appear. True, maybe she hasn't really been into romance lately. But that can all change when a girl is rushed to say good-bye. Maybe all it takes is thirty-six minutes...


**It's a short, slightly rushed fluffy one-shot just for Kyoko and Ren. Those who hate this couple and like Sho beware, for you will most likely not be satisfied! Yes, they may be out of character, but what can I say, I didn't have time to think it through much. Hope you enjoy!**

**I do not own Skip Beat.**

Sometimes fairytales take years to come true, and sometimes they only take a couple hours. For Kyoko, her fairytale hadn't even started and she was seventeen years old. True, romance wasn't that high on her list anymore, but it used to be. Back in the day when she would sneak out to the forest clearing to meet with Corn, romance was a high priority. Most of her school days consisted of her studying and her daydreaming away, images of knights killing dragons and saving princesses dancing in her head. Most of the princesses also had an eerie resemblance to their creator, Mogami Kyoko.

But now, not so much. If she had any fantasies going on in her head they either consisted of her beating the shit out of Sho, or her and Moko-chan shopping and eating ice cream like those girls on reality TV. You would think that after being on many of those shows, Kyoko would realize the absurdity of it, but no. She had no idea. She still had this little story going on in her head with Moko and her gossiping and eating ice cream and shopping for pretty, royalty-style dresses that swept over your feet and consisted of ribbons and bows and sparkles and twenty-foot trains held up by swans. They could even get more detailed than that if Kyoko had the free time, though such a precious concept was becoming rare. Free time? No. That no longer existed in Kyoko's vocabulary unless it existed in her character's.

So why is it that the one time Kyoko figured she actually did have free time, she didn't? No one will ever know what had driven Kyoko into thinking that her Saturday was open, that she could actually allow her usually responsible self to sleep in. Had she completely forgotten that a certain plane was leaving in thirty-six minutes?

Yes, for a second she had. But in her dream where she was eating Sho's soul there was a clock ticking away, rather loudly. So loudly in fact, that Kyoko woke up, glanced at the alarm clock groggily, and nearly jumped so high that there would've been a Kyoko-sized hole in the ceiling the next moment. However, gravity was on her side, and brought her back down on the mattress, where she hurried to make her bed. The calendar had the exact date circled in bright red marker, and Kyoko's amber eyes had caught sight of it when she had woken. The blossoming actress kept on checking her shiny silver watch even as she struggled to find decent clothes in such a short time span.

But she managed. Skinny jeans, ballet flats, and a fiery red blouse and white jacket complete with a hood outlined in fur completed the perfect ensemble to bring out her hair, which until a few moments before, was in a Natsu style. The president had told her how actors and actresses had personas in front of the public after Kyoko came close to having a panic attack in the middle of the mall and gush over a princess doll in a display window. Ever since then she went out to the mall with a cocky smile on her face and an aura of dominance and confidence surrounding her like a strong, golden glow.

Slipping into a model walk and into Natsu's character rather seamlessly, Kyoko rushed down the stairs, realizing all too late that her public persona did not include a frantic teenager on a rusty old bike with ribbons on the handles. **(couldn't resist the girly touch, even though the bike doesn't have ribbons in the manga)**

But, the ticking minute hand on her insistent watch had yet to shut up or at least tone it down, so Kyoko threw dignity out the window just to ride the stupid bike.

And never before had she ridden so fast in all her life. It was worth it though. For she really would've been buried in despair for the next two weeks had it not been for her fast pedaling. A professional cyclist would've had trouble racing to the airport from that end of Tokyo, but Kyoko was never one to be called average. Polite, creative, happy, and kind... Yes. Average? Oh God no.

Whenever someone murmured about Mogami Kyoko riding a child's bike down the streets, she made sure to throw them a glare over their shoulder. The click of their jaws flying upwards could be heard easily as she pedaled away.

She had twenty-one minutes. Kyoko attempted to keep her breathing even, but not only was it chilly, but she was pedaling as fast as her heart was pumping, and her heart beat was at a full run, even faster than that.

And, to add to it all, it was Fall, and a rainy one at that. No one can have a rainy Autumn day without mud, and as she took a sharp turn, that's exactly what flew onto her outfit.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath, though she didn't pause. Her hair was a brilliant banner of fire behind her as she continued onwards, even with mud drying into her designer clothes, even with it streaked across her face. Now was she not only more noticeable, but the tabloids that would no doubt follow would be close to laughable.

'Up and Coming Actress Tries to Pull off Mud Trend' would no doubt be in large yellow letters on the cover of a magazine by the next morning.

There was a soft click off to the side of the road, and Kyoko caught sight of an iPhone being hastily put back into a teenager's pocket. "Damn camera phones," Kyoko murmured, still racing against the clock.

With only seventeen minutes to spare, she finally pulled into the airport and dropped the bike. The security guards were yelling after the woman clad in mud, but their shouts were falling on deaf ears. No one can stop a young actress going to see off her senpai. Not flashing cameras, not mud, not time, not the fact that she had to bike all the way there, and most certainly not a couple security guards who were supposed to be monitoring the man snatching a woman's purse.

Sure, they'd catch him later, but that wasn't the important thing.

Kyoko's breathing was quickening, trying to keep up with her heart, and the constant stares she was receiving and she ran through lobbies and past many other bored guards was not assisting her nerves. She felt the adrenaline pumping through her, and it was almost as if she was getting high off of the exhilaration and the feeling.

Then she arrived before a suspicious looking man in a baseball cap, glasses and jacket.

Thirteen minutes were left until the plane was leaving. That's all she had to say what she had to say before he left for two more weeks.

"Mogami-san?" he asked darkly, crossing his arms as if he was impatient, which he probably was. He had a plane to catch otherwise he'd miss the filming of one of his new dramas.

She breathed heavily, slipping slightly out of her Natsu personality, but only slightly. "Ren." Her brain was in overdrive, and the fact that she had just called her senpai by his first name was not registering.

But it registered in his mind. "What?" He stiffened noticeably, confused by her out-of-character actions.

She looked up at him, practically pleading for forgiveness. Her golden eyes were wide with fear. When Ren got angry, he became enraged. "Please forgive me for being late. I slept in but still wanted to see you off. I really apologize, Tsuruga-sempai," she explained. She did notice her slip a little too late, and would apologize for that later, as well. But she quickly fixed her mistake for the moment.

He smiled. That was much more like his Kyoko. "I actually was just waiting for my carry-on. I thought I told everyone I didn't want anyone to see me off. I'm sorry I disrupted your sleep," he quickly replied. Then he saw the mud. "What happened to you?"

But Kyoko didn't hear what he said at first. It reached her ears a little late, for she was momentarily mesmerized by deep, mysterious eyes she had looked into before and yet hadn't recognized. That is, until now.

The eyes were the first clue, and then she saw the smile. Another light went on in her head. After than came his voice. The third and final light was shining brightly. "Corn," she whispered, walking forward and putting a hand upon his cheek in fascination. Yes. It was all coming back to her. Little visions of crying, black-haired girls and handsome blonde-haired boys were coming back to her. Fairy princes. She smiled fondly at the memory.

"Mogami-san?" Ren asked in husky voice, shocked beyond comprehension. "What are you__"

"I should've known," Kyoko interrupted, sliding her hand into his hair and knocking off his baseball cap. "Though you changed your hair. Which color is natural?"

Ren was freezing up. "Eh?" was his only way of answer. Then he quickly pulled a smile. "This color, Mogami-san. What's gotten into you?" He had no idea that the smile had was giving her was one of her least favorites, the fake one that would've made any other girl swoon. But there was no other way around it. He had to keep in control before he lost it. After all, she was too close. She had guessed it correctly, but he couldn't let her know it was him.

Little did he know that Kyoko had lost it first. Natsu and her combined creates a terrifying creature if anyone is curious. However, if asked, Ren would disagree. Natsu and Kyoko put together had advantages for Ren.

Kyoko grinned brightly, and her heart went even faster than doctors would say is possible. There was a feeling deep inside her. A feeling she should've noticed and identified months ago. "Ren," she murmured to him.

Without hesitation, without warning, she placed her lips to his. Ren, of course, didn't mind at all as she wrapped her arms around his neck. There was definitely something inside him taking over. He had lost control, and so there was no longer any holding back. He held her flush against him, for she was too short to have reached his lips without jumping.

Their lips moved for what seemed to be minutes. They were telling each other secrets and promises without even speaking. It was all in that one special moment, in Kyoko's first real kiss, in their first real kiss, where it all began. It wouldn't be their last.

"Flight 673 will be taking off in two minutes."

Kyoko pulled away first, blushing. She was extremely shocked that she had been so straightforward, especially with her sempai. Flustered was an understatement. "I am so sor__"

But his fingers were on her lips, silencing her. "Are you going to take back your gift by apologizing, Mogami-san," Ren replied, pulling away and grinning brightly. It was a true smile though, Kyoko could see. She sighed, relieved that he was acting as if it were nothing. That was probably good. It was all for the sake of acting and publicity, right? Yes. Why else would Ren have responded to her foolish act of impulse? _I love you, Mogami Kyoko_. He was not about to say it and scare her off, for she seemed a little embarrassed and confused as it was. He definitely wanted too.

Kyoko's blushed deepened. "You have a plane to catch. Just... um... call later... Tsuruga-sempai," she insisted, pushing him away. Natsu had fainted from Ren's kiss and was not about to add to Kyoko's confidence level. However, she knew he was covered in mud just like her.

He had forgotten that when he held her so close.

"Damn," he spat softly as he sat down in the plane, all eyes on the mud-covered man who looked very close to a celebrity they all knew and loved.

Not that it mattered. She'd apologize a million times later for the interruption and the mud, though she secretly thought he looked amazing in mud anyway.

Plus, they could always joke about the record fairytale.

36 minutes and counting, folks.

If anyone can break it, they might be more meant to be then Ren and Kyoko, which would be saying something.

But no fairytale would be complete without the very traditional ending.

Ren returned to his apartment two weeks later to find a very uncomfortable and nervous Kyoko standing outside the door with a bag full of her belongings. This seemed very unKyoko like, but she bowed and apologized and informed him that Yashiro had told her to stay with Ren for a couple days to help him settle back into his apartment after he had been gone and working so hard for so long. She had fallen easily for the trick, but he had not. But still, why let the opportunity pass? He invited her in without thinking about it, and Kyoko worriedly read to him the many articles about the young, mud-covered actress and Tsuruga Ren kissing in the airport. But he brushed it off and promised her he didn't care. The next morning, they arrived to work holding hands and smiling like idiots, after some very careful persuasion and storytelling on Ren's part. It also might've had to do with promising her to get a restraining order on Sho that made her so eager to listen and accept, but details are details. Its the big picture that matters right? A certain manager and best friend would both be overly excited and happy for them, as well as a company president, but they didn't mind the attention for once.

After a month things were busy. Interviews and jealous fan girls were the first things to truly take care of, but in the end they'd both get into Ren's car and kiss to their hearts' content before finally going home to continue the activity every day.

And they lived happily ever after.

**Didn't you love the cliche little ending? I wrote it all in thirty-six minutes.**

**No really, I wrote this in thirty minutes. Can you believe it? I understand that at moments Kyoko was out of character. I apologize for that, really. But this couple is cute, and I checked the time and decided I had thirty-six minutes until eleven o'clock. Why not spend it writing something fluffy just for the two of them?**

**Which is exactly why I did it. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review and give me constructive criticism if you have any. But also remember I rushed through this. Thank you!**

**P.S. Marimar718 is truly awesome. I had been planning to look back at my story and give it a thorough look over today, but Marimar made me question Ren's character as well, so I switched it up. I had to make them both slightly out of character, otherwise it would've been impossible for there to be any romance at all. Sorry, Marimar. Hope you liked what I did change and edit though! Thank you very much!**

**-Ezzy**


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